Qingyuan Hu received both his Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree from Nanjing Technology University in China, and he received his doctorate in optics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He joined the China National Tobacco Quality Supervision & Test Centre (CNTQSTC) in 1991. CNTQSTC is a governmental laboratory responsibile for tobacco regulation affairs in China. Currently he is the general director of CNTQSTC. He holds a professorship with research interests in analytical chemistry and biological assessment of tobacco products. In addition to his experience with and responsibilities for tobacco research and tobacco regulation, he has co-authored books, including Tobacco Smoke Exposure Biomarkers, and has published scholarly articles on smoke chemistry, exposure biomarkers and nicotine dependence research.